Why Gran Canaria is becoming the destination of thousands of tourists every year?

Canary Islands. An authentic paradise in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of northeast Africa, that spreads across seven islands and several other islets on a blue, magnificent sea. A place to discover, undoubtedly.

With slightly over 600 square miles, Gran Canaria is the second largest of those islands, just after Tenerife, and the second most populated as well. Its capital city, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, sits on the northeast corner of the island, just by the peninsula La Isleta.

Upon arrival: Gando airport welcomes the tourist

The Gran Canaria airport, also known as Gando Airport, is one of the six highest-ranked air terminals of Spain, and besides receiving local travelers it also conveys traffic from stopover flights between Europe and South America. There’s plenty of airlines that fly carrying thousands of tourists every year from different countries up to Gran Canaria.

Its transportation facilities include several roads from many places in the island. There’s also a special bus that gives service at most towns in Gran Canaria. Taxi services are frequently requested, since distances between the airport and downtown Las Palmas are not too large.

Hotels and lodging

Canary Islands in general, and of course Gran Canaria in particular have developed large touristic infrastructures during the last decades. Each and every one of the seven main islands features highly developed lodging places, with 4- to 5-star hotels and everything the demanding tourists of today request.

Many hotels are located in Las Palmas, some of them just a few blocks away, and others even in front of the sunny beaches of La Cícer, Playa de Las Canteras o Playa Chica.

However, as any tourist says, the finest sands and gorgeous seas can be found only on the south coast of Gran Canaria. Maspalomas is one of the world-renowned touristic resources of the whole island. And there HD Hotels means an excellent lodging option, with plenty of services and only 5 minutes away from Playa del Inglés.

What to do in Gran Canaria

Wonderful landscapes and a perfect weather for any type of tourism, from quiet, relaxed beach sunbathing, to surfing strong riptides, forest hiking or biking to rappel mountaineering.

With an average temperature about 18 C in winter and 26 in the summer and more than 300 sunny days a year, Gran Canaria weather conditions are more than ideal for vacations during any season. Even in the midst of winter, Jan-Feb, the temperature does not go below 15 C during the day.

Besides the traditional sun worshipping and beach activities, these are some other options to enjoy nature in Gran Canaria:

Golf: Eight class-A golf courses, four near Las Palmas and the other four in the south coast, not too far from Maspalomas.

Rappel: This adventure sport is one of the most demanded by mountaineers, since Gran Canaria features many attractive rocky places.

Hiking: A healthy practice that allows the tourist to know those intricate and remote places of the island. Thera are a dozen of hiking routes, called senderos around Gran Canaria.

Biking: Lots of places out in the wilderness to go cycling.

Horse riding: A different approach to enjoy beautiful landscapes.

Driving around the island

The GC1 is the Gran Canaria’s main highway and runs from the capital city Las Palmas in the northeast, to the cities and tourist places in the South, running parallel to the east coast, and rounding more than half the coastline down to Mogán harbor.

Parallel to the north coast, the GC-2 highway runs from Las Palmas to Agaete on the northwest corner, covering some 25 miles. Actually Gran Canaria is a relatively small territory and every place becomes near, especially if driving a car.

Many car rental agencies offer the service to tourists and local people, like TopCar outside Las Palmas.

Some advice for tourists arriving in Islas Canarias

Any newcomer to the Canary Islands will find these few tips pretty useful:

Sun protection is a must, especially during summer. Light clothes, hats and sunglasses should accompany the tourist anywhere outdoors during the day.

Tap water is not recommended for drinking. Bottled spring water is found at every kiosk and market across the island.

Caution must be taken when entering the sea. It becomes deep within a few meters in and big waves can be frequent. Canary Islands are located in the middle of an oceanic current, not to mention the winds that frequently blow. Usually beaches are signaled with color flags: blue, meaning safe for swimming; yellow, only for skillful swimmers; and red, where entering the sea is banned.

Electric power uses the standard European 220 voltage system. Care must be taken, otherwise ordinary 110V devices could be permanently damaged.

Standard tips in bars and restaurants are around 5% to 10% of the bill.

ETIAS, the new permit you will need to travel to Europe from the US starting 2021

Last April the European Parliament and the European Council confirmed at the final agreement for the creation of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), a registration system for all visitors from third countries that are now exempt from visa. In order to strengthen border security, the European Commission proposed the creation of this system which will enter into full operation in 2021.

The ETIAS authorisation is not a visa. Once operational, it will carry out pre-travel screening for security and migration risks of travellers benefiting from visa-free access to the Schengen area. When arriving at the EU borders, travellers from the United States of America will need to have both a valid travel document and an ETIAS authorisation.

What countries will require it?

The ETIAS will facilitate access to countries within the Schengen Area to travelers from third countries that do not currently require a visa in order to improve security and to prevent irregular immigration. Therefore, to know if you need to use ETIAS or not, you will first have to find out if the country you want to visit falls within the Schengen Area, and you will also need to know if your country was visa-exempt until now.

Schengen Area Countries

It is important to remember that not all 28 countries of the European Union (EU) are part of the Schengen Area and that not all Schengen countries are part of the European Union. Great Britain and Ireland, for example, are part of the EU (Great Britain is scheduled to leave after Brexit), but not the Schengen Area; while Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein are part of the Schengen Area, but not members of the EU.

Countries’ citizens who will need to apply for ETIAS.

As stated above, ETIAS will be required to travelers from countries that do not require a visa. Currently, individuals from the following 57 countries do not require Schengen visas to visit countries in the European Union. However, with the arrival of ETIAS expected in 2021, passport holders of these countries will require an ETIAS waiver to travel to Europe for the purposes of tourism, business or transit for a short 90 days stay in any 180-day period.

How is it going to work?

Prior to traveling, those interested in acquiring an ETIAS waiver must fill out an online application providing with basic information (name, age, occupation, passport number, country of entry in Europe). In addition, they must answer a few questions on safety and health issues, among others. Approval often takes minutes once your ETIAS application is complete, and the maximum amount of time for approval is only four days.

What do I need to apply?

All you need to apply is a valid Passport, a credit or debit card to pay the fee and a completed ETIAS application. Since it’s a visa waiver, you won’t need any further paperwork. And, unlike visa applications, ETIAS doesn’t require an interview at any embassy or consulate.

How do I apply?

The ETIAS application form is already available online, although its use won’t enter into force until 2021. You can apply for your ETIAS until 5 days before your trip, but the sooner you start the process, the better. Once in the application form, you’ll be prompted to provide your passport details and asked to answer a list of security questions. It’s vital that your application be error-free and that the information is an exact match to your passport. Any discrepancies between your ETIAS application and your passport could cause a delay in processing and/or approval You’ll also need a credit or debit card to complete the process.

Once you’re finished, the form is submitted immediately and you will receive an email with the information of you of approval status. You should receive the email within minutes, although sometimes issues on approval status could take up to four days to be sorted out.

How much is it going to cost?

Each applicant over 18 years old will have to pay a 5€ travel authorization fee. The payment must be done online during the application process.

How long can I use it for and when does it expire?

The ETIAS can be used for stays up to 90 days in a period of 180 days. The travel purposes covered by ETIAS are tourism, short-term business such or conference and qualifying medical procedures. Your approved ETIAS will last for three years, but it might expire sooner if your passport does. You will have to re-apply for ETIAS when you get a new passport.

Why is It Important to Cross-Check Hotels in Mussoorie In Advance?

Mussoorie is one of the lovely places that one can visit while having a trip to Uttarakhand. The hill station is known for its majestic natural beauty that is always appreciated not only by the tourists who arrive at the location but also by people who listen about the place from others. Though Uttarakhand is known as one of the best hill station location in India, Mussoorie is known to be one of the best places in Uttarakhand. If you are planning a trip to this place, it is always necessary to cross-check the hotels in Mussoorie in advance for a number of different reasons.

To Get A Wide Range Of Options

It is always a great idea to search for the hotels well in advance as much as about at least two to three months. If you are planning to visit the place during the peak season, there are high chances that the hotels will get booked and you may land up with no much of options. Hence, if you have your tickets booked during the peak season that is from April to June, it is very much important for you to make the arrangements of your accommodation quite in advance.

You may come across a number of hotel options a few days before your travel date but you may not like them much or they may not meet up your requirements. On the other hand, if you start searching for the hotels at least one month in advance, you can come across a good range of options so that you can select the one as per your requirements.

To Get The Right Location

There are a number of factors that you need to have a check at while you are selecting the right hotel for you. One of the major factors is the location of the hotel. Apart from the peak season ranging between the month of April and June, there are also a number of tourists who prefer to visit the place during the winters in order to witness snowfall. It is a different experience to see everything getting covered under the white sheet of snow. But you can witness such beauty only when you are getting your hotel at the right place.

For this, you need to do a bit of research work and check on the various hotels and resorts that are available there. You can read reviews of various hotels to understand the facilities available and the view from the hotel. Also, you can take help from the experts such as the travel agent in your city to know about the hotel at the right location so that you can enjoy snowfall at its best. Even if you are not visiting the place during winters, it is important to have a proper hotel at a proper location so that you can enjoy the lovely scenic beauty of the place.

Get The Best Room

There are so many people who are not satisfied by checking in to the best hotel, they also crave for the best room in the hotel. Suppose, you are going to Mussoorie for your honeymoon trip, you will wish to get the best room to have some of the best moments spent. But getting the best room will not be that easy if you are not searching for it in advance. You might love to have a room that is perfect to make your stay a special one with your newly married partner. But to search for that perfect room, you need to take initiative in advance.

It is a great option to select the right hotel and check for the room availabilities and then directly contact the desk of the hotel to book your room for your perfect trip. Also, there are options at times to visit the site of the hotel and get the booking of the room done as per your convenience and requirements.

Get Cheaper Deals

There are so many sites available today that promise to offer best deals on hotels and other travel-related options. But you will be able to get such deals and discounts only when you search for them properly and also in advance. This is because the deals are normally available when the rooms of the hotels are not booked. Also, when it is not a peak season, the hotel rooms are sold out at a much cheaper cost. You need to find out such hotels in Mussoorie that are great in terms of facilities and other factors and also are available at cheaper tariff.

How will you come across such options? The best way is to search for them online. There are so many sites that offer you deals and offers on various hotels and hence you can get the best option for your stay. Even if you do not come across any of such sites that are offering you hotel rooms at cheaper cost, you can make use of various discount coupons and so on to get a good discount on the room that you have been booking.

Customize Your Timings

Though the check in and the check out timing are fixed by the hotel management team, but there are a lot of times when you can customize your time of check in. This is again possible when you are booking the hotel rooms well in advance. When the rush is not there, you can get some extra time for your hotel check-in, depending upon the staffs of the hotel. There are some of the hotels who are lenient enough to provide you an extra stretch in your timing, while there are many others who may not.

So, when you have time in hand, you can search the best hotels, contact them to know about the time stretch and then can get your room booked accordingly.

A number of people may think that booking any hotel in the hill stations will offer you a great stay and great experience. Such a thought can get wrong at times. Hence, the best way is to search for different hotels and them select the best one quite in advance to have a comfortable and enjoyable trip.

Dental tourism, actually one of the most popular

Commonly known as dental holidays in Europe, it is actually a subset of medical tourism which is experiencing an important growth in this late times, since people from all around the globe is on a more frequent basis using their vacations to seek dental care outside their local healthcare systems. Today, globalization has created an interdependent market which is developing exponentially, where technologies spread out throughout the world quicker than ever, allowing people to find good dental care services at locations where costs are way lower than those at their places of origin.

But, why is this happening?

This has become an unstoppable phenomenon due to the economical differences existent nowadays amongst countries, especially between those that share borders. Obviously people seeking dental care, travel for a huge variety of reasons but an undeniable fact that affects decisions is driven by money, being able to have access to the necessary solution at a significant lower cost, is a strong element in decision making, even more when the quality of the service is as good as the local one only by passing over to a neighbor country.

For example, people from Austria travel to Albania, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania and Bosnia. Citizens from the United States and Canada go to Dental Solutions Algodones Mexico in Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador; patients from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Ukraine and Poland; and from Australia to other countries of South-East Asia. Some people travel because the funding of public healthcare at their place of choice turns out to be more convenient, or the general access to healthcare at that specific place fits their personal needs.

Freedom of practice

But not all the reasons for dental tourism are due to economics. In Europe, dental professionals are allowed to move their practice from one country to another and they are required only a minimum set of qualifications approved by the country of destination, giving them a greater freedom of practice. This is intended by the union to standardize dental services all over the areas of its members. Furthermore, dentistry universities of the union have developed programmes to help their students on completing some of their education at foreign facilities. This standardization brings down barriers for patients mobility within the area.

How about quality?

Since the main reason in most cases is related to pricing, low prices come with dentists that offer minimum fixed costs, less government issues and lower expenses including those derived from insurance to patients with a high income. Outside the country of origin, many bureaucratic steps are inexistent, allowing dentists to focus more freely on their task. Procedures such as porcelain veneers or dental implants become affordable for many people that can not pay for them back at home. And right here is where the main questions about this matter are focused. First, does price differentials imply lower quality results?, and second, Is it safe to undergo a large scale dental procedure abroad on a short period of time?.

The answers here are NO and YES, and here is why. As previously mentioned, globalization has a lot to do with this, because the latest technologies, materials and techniques are more accessible today than ever before anywhere in the world. In the first case, a dentist with a proven professional record, will charge the appropriate fees according to the country where they work, and the lower price does not necessarily mean poor quality, it means that the patient comes from a place where income is higher but expenses are higher too. In the second case, it is easy to figure out that the answer is affirmative since, as stated in the previous point, quality has nothing to do with the price in this case, and regardless of whether the procedure is something simple or complex, if the work is well done, there is no reason to expect any further problems.